Lotte Hotel’s Luxury Spa Experience

Mandara Spa

Inspired by the diverse landscapes of Asia, the sprawling 1,500 square meter (16,000 square foot) Mandara Spa draws on Balinese, Hawaiian, Thai, Japanese and Swedish healing traditions. In addition to several treatment rooms, Spa guests are able to use the relaxation lounge and hydrotherapy area with Jacuzzi, silk bath, hammam and sauna. The 21-meter swimming pool and Fitness Center are located within the same complex nearby, so it is convenient to work out, swim, and use the sauna and hydrotherapy pools all in a single visit.

As you enter the nature-themed spa, passing through a corridor graced with Asian artifacts tucked into niches set within the walls, you will come into the reception area adorned with a chandelier consisting of what appear to be delicate tree branches.

Here, spa guests are taken on a sensory adventure, beginning with the opportunity to sample and choose from a variety of fragrant oils to be used on your body during spa-therapy sessions. I was encouraged to use one fragrance for my foot massage (peppermint) session and another (patchouli) for my overall body massage. After making these important selections and visiting the changing room to don a robe and slippers, I was guided through a hall of curved walls, backlit with soft lighting, passing over lava stepping stones set in a shallow stream with loose pebbles and lotus metal sculptures, arriving at my treatment room. Rooms are thematically named, such as “Mist,” “Dew,” etc. My wife and I were given a room with side-by-side massage tables. We were greeted by two therapists, both from Bali, who introduced themselves to us and urged us to take a seat on a bench in front of two large bowls filled with warm water topped by flower petals. As we gazed at the soft hues of the furnishings, complemented by subtle lighting and relaxing sounds, we were invited to sip on cups of green tea as our slippers were removed and a lengthy session of vigorous foot therapy ensued. Every massage begins with an Aroma Reflex Foot Ritual, symbolically and realistically washing away the cares of the world, followed by a heavenly foot massage that invites you into a session of complete rejuvenation.

After my foot massage, I was given the Balinese Massage, a centuries-old, traditional therapy combining stretching, long strokes, skin rolling and delicious palm and thumb pressure techniques. The intent of the massage is to relieve tension, improve body flow and ease stress while calming the mind. It also is said to improve the circulatory, lymphatic, muscular and nervous systems. After a day of sightseeing or travel, the Balinese Massage helps in your recovery from jetlag or physical depletion. The spa also offers its signature Mandara Massage, performed by two therapists working together, blending five different massage styles: Japanese Shiastsu, Thai, Hawaiian Lomi Lomi, Swedish and Balinese. The experience, it is said, is not to be missed and never to be forgotten. Total time for each massage, including Aroma Reflex Foot Ritual, is 95 minutes. My wife enjoyed her 95-minute Spa Discovery, an age-old tradition combining the finest European skin care with Elemis Facial products, a Balinesse massage and the Aroma Reflex Foot Ritual.

Mandara Spa offers two distinctive lines of skincare products. The Swiss Bellefontaine cosmetic line of treatments have powerful anti-aging effects and restore skin health and radiance. Bellefontaine combines a synthesis of natural, organic ingredients with the latest scientific achievements in the field of modern cosmetology to effectively restore and maintain the natural beauty of your skin. Award-winning facials and body treatments from luxury British spa and skincare brand, Elemis, are also available.

Approximately 60% of the Lotte Hotel guests make use of the Mandara Spa. The lengthiest treatment is called “Ultimate Indulgence,” lasting 2 hours and 40 minutes. Cost for this “packaged ritual” is 11,900 Rubles (approximately $357 USD). Three other “packaged rituals” range from 6,800 to 8,900 Rubles ($204-$267 USD) during which you are pampered for 2 hours and 5 minutes. The most expensive treatment on the spa’s menu is called “Active Rejuvenating Caviar Body Treatment” for 13,500 Rubles ($405 USD), a caviar-based treatment using Bellefontaine products that is said to be highly efficient as an intensive anti-aging program for distressed skin. There are four Bellefontaine facials and five Elemis skin product facials offered as well, including one treatment designed for men.

Whether you are a hotel guest or simply staying in the area, be sure to experience the Mandara Spa where experienced Balinese therapists will leave you feeling revived, revitalized, reinvigorated, and thoroughly refreshed.